Six Children Overjoyed to Have a Place to Call Home

It was a beautiful morning to celebrate the completion of two new Habitat homes in Woodstock for two special families. The homes are located in the Villages of Park Creek neighborhood, in Woodstock. These homes are the 37th and 38th that Habitat has built in the Villages of Park Creek neighborhood since 2010.

Attending the ceremony to celebrate this momentous occasion were representatives from the sponsor groups, community volunteers, family members and Habitat staff and Board Members.

“It was wonderful to see how excited the children were when they saw their new homes for the first time completely finished,” said Mary Lamond, Habitat Director of Family Services. “Both families have faced many challenges and they worked very hard to get to where they are today.”

Habitat partnered with the Shing/Ti family on the first home. John Shing and his wife, Maung Ti, have three children ranging in age from 1 to 5 years. John and Maung immigrated from Burma to the United States in 2012 after first living in temporary refuge in Malaysia with the help of the United Nations Refugee Program. John works for a residential real estate company as a property manager.

The Shing/Ti home was built by the Stelten family in honor of Gene and Jeannie Stelten. Gene Stelten has been a long-time volunteer for Habitat North Central Georgia and this home was built in his and his wife’s honor by members of his family. Gene Stelten was a founding board member for Habitat North Fulton in 1993 and helped to raise funds to build many homes over the years. He also is an accomplished author and published four books to benefit Habitat-North Central Georgia.

On the second home, Habitat has partnered with Asha Akachi who has three children; Akilimali (13), Ato-Mbiro (9) and Ayokunle (5). Asha fled her home with her children after experiencing severe domestic violence. She received support services from the Cherokee Family Violence Center where she was able to transition from homelessness to a temporary apartment. On their path to healing, Asha and the children have graduated from counseling, developed a strong support system, and are now having a second chance at life. Asha is enrolled in school and is pursuing her degree in nursing.

“I am truly blessed to have been chosen for the Habitat program and so grateful to the sponsors for helping to build my home,” said Asha Akachi at the ceremony. Asha’s fourteen year old daughter, Akilimali, added “You didn't have to do this and you didn't have to help other people so I just want to say thank you for helping our family. This program really helps people who are just stuck in life get unstuck, so thank you."

Asha Akachi is very fortunate to have the Travelers, Evonik Corporation, Infor, MetLife, Turf Masters Lawn Care and Habitat’s Women Build BLITZ participants as sponsors of her home.

Habitat for Humanity-North Central Georgia is a non-profit, Christian housing ministry that builds affordable homes for purchase by low-income families who demonstrate the capacity for responsible homeownership. Since its inception in 1995, Habitat-NCG has completed 279 homes serving an estimated 1,000 family members in the North Fulton area and Cherokee, Dawson and Forsyth Counties. Habitat-NCG does not give away its homes. Partner families, who earn 30% to 60% of the Atlanta area median income, purchase their homes at or near appraised value utilizing 30-year no-interest financing provided by Habitat. In addition, each partner family is required to attend educational classes and perform 200-300 hours of construction “sweat equity.” Family members work side by side with the volunteers, sponsors, and Habitat staff to build their homes. Habitat-NCG’s slogan is “A Hand Up, Not a Handout.” For more information concerning Habitat for Humanity-North Central Georgia, please visit www.habitat-ncg.org.